Craig Emerson (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Service Economy, Small Business and Independent Contractors) Share this | Hansard source

I indicate at the outset that I will use only half of the time allocated to me for this debate on the Workplace Relations Amendment (A Stronger Safety Net) Bill 2007, because I want to create some extra space for Labor MPs to be able to make a contribution before the guillotine falls. If the government is so proud of its legislation, if it is so proud of Work Choices, why not have a proper debate instead of stopping Labor MPs from making a contribution to it? Indeed, around 90 per cent of coalition MPs have declined the opportunity to speak in this debate, yet the whip on our side of the chamber has had to say to numerous Labor MPs that he is very sorry but he cannot fit them into the small amount of time that has been allocated.

My colleague the member for Melbourne said famously, some time ago, that in politics everyone exaggerates. Well, Mr Deputy Speaker, we saw some of the greatest exaggeration in the speech by the member for Macquarie just then. I would put this proposition to the parliament: if Labor’s policy would create so much difficulty for the business community, why exaggerate it? Why misrepresent it? Why not just describe it as it is?

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